"its not safe out there tonight kappas," the message read, eschewing punctuation as so many text messages do.

About a dozen sisters in the Sigma Kappa sorority at the State University College at Geneseo received the message. A few were rattled and changed plans for the night; others found the message weird, but perhaps an off-the-wall prank. Still, they did postpone an event the sorority had planned.

About 24 hours later came the next message: "glad you all mostly took my advice last night, but moving it forward one night doesn't make kappas or their dates any safer. I mean no harm, im not the threat, but harm is coming."

Clearly, the texter — whether malicious or simply mischievous — knew just what the sorority sisters were doing, or not doing.

Plus, the individual had their phone numbers.

In December the FBI arrested a Long Island man, Thomas Traficante, who was a former boyfriend of one of the sisters. Authorities allege that Traficante, 23, engaged in a campaign of threats against his ex and her sorority sisters, doing much of the harassment from downstate. He is now charged in federal court in Rochester with cyberstalking and threats.

Traficante is now jailed and is scheduled to appear in federal court in Rochester Tuesday for a bail hearing. Federal prosecutors have said they want him to stay jailed as he awaits trial. His attorney, Raymond Perini, declined to comment until after the hearing.

Traficante did not attend SUNY Geneseo, yet he seemed to know the comings and goings of some of its students, according to the allegations.

Traficante's arrest prompted news coverage in both the Rochester area and Long Island. If the allegations are true, his harassment of his girlfriend stretched to exorbitant and cruel lengths: For instance, he allegedly sent her cocaine, then alerted campus police to the shipment in hopes she would be arrested.

But the former girlfriend was not the only victim in the criminal case. Traficante is also accused of putting an entire sorority on edge, once, as if in a B-grade horror movie, even texting its members, "I'm in the house."

"Local police searched the sorority members' house and reported the sorority members were extremely concerned and scared for their safety," according to an affidavit from FBI Special Agent Barry Couch.

Court records, information from SUNY Geneseo and conversations with individuals familiar with the allegations against Traficante show just how the escalating harassment shook up the college students, bothering some so intensely that it was tough for them to concentrate during exams.

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Leadership of the SUNY Geneseo sorority chapter declined to comment. The national chapter released a statement. saying, "While we cannot comment on the specifics of the case at SUNY Geneseo, we do want to express our gratitude to law enforcement for their involvement and guidance in this matter. The health, safety and well-being of every one of our sisters is our absolute priority."

Escalating harassment

The Nov. 10 text to the Sigma Kappa sisters was just a taste of what was to come.

University police checked on the telephone number — one with a 585 Rochester-region area code — and decided the number was generated by an online service and not linked to a particular cellphone.

The first two telephone calls were enough to put some of the sorority sisters on edge.

"Several of the students expressed being scared and afraid due to the text messages and that it was disturbing their daily lives and studies," FBI Agent Couch wrote in his affidavit.

Within a week after the calls, Traficante's former girlfriend discovered that someone had posted her contact information on a prostitution website, leading her to receive dozens of calls from men soliciting sex.

The campus police began a collaboration with other law enforcement authorities, including the FBI, which also had been notified of the threats. Campus police sent out a message to students, saying that it was "working with multiple police agencies at local, state and federal levels, and continues to evaluate information as it becomes available. If you have any information or receive any suspicious messages during the (Thanksgiving) break, please contact the investigative agencies."

As more individuals learned of the harassment, some students tried to reach out to the telephone number that was the source of the texts. One student finally received an answer, and talked to a man who appeared to be using a device that could alter the sound of his voice.

The person who answered claimed he had been wronged by someone in the Greek community, and that he wanted revenge. He said he had a former girlfriend in the Greek community and wanted to emotionally damage her.

He also maintained that he knew he was irrational, that his parents were divorced, and that he had been prescribed Xanax.

That very same day — Nov. 17 — more texts came from the number. These were again creepy, and also aware of plans with the sorority.

"im excited for the wedding," the first read, followed by "hope you dont wear anything that can stain" and "please dont cancel again i want to have fun this time."

The so-called "wedding" was a moniker the sorority used for an event planned with another organization, and Sigma Kappa did have one scheduled, which it had postponed.

Still, another student received a separate text that warned that the individual planned to do "something" and that the plans were "years in the making."

In a Nov. 18 text the individual said he intended to "create the most amount of turmoil and pain within Greek life" at SUNY Geneseo. He seemed to hint that he was willing to die at the hands of police, if necessary.

By this time, Traficante's ex-girlfriend had also experienced increasing harassment. Weeks before, police were alerted that she would receive drugs and searched her room after intercepting the cocaine package addressed to her. The police became convinced that she had nothing to do with the drugs, even as more were sent to her, including methamphetamine.

On Nov. 20 someone shot a BB gun at the window of her family home in Long Island. Nassau County police approached Traficante, who denied the threats and the shooting, but said "he was seeing a therapist due to the breakup with victim," court papers say.

Within two weeks after that, the sorority sisters received the text warning that "I'm in the house." The search of the sorority house found nothing out of the ordinary.

Knowing the movements

The growing fear among the students was exacerbated by the fact that the harasser knew their phone numbers and some of their plans. It was as if he — and most were convinced the threats were from a male — lived among them, too close for comfort.

In early December, however, some of the students realized just how the harasser might be creating the illusion that they were on or near campus.

Sigma Kappa sisters use a group chat application called "Group Me" to communicate on occasions. This was a safety measure; if any sister needed a ride home on a weekend she could reach out through the communication mechanism. Anyone who had been able to log into the chat threads could pull out phone numbers and also know of the discussions of the students' plans.

Traficante's former girlfriend was more convinced of his involvement, records show, and in early December university police subpoenaed information about the telephone number that was the source of the texts. Eventually, those steps led to an address in Long Island — Traficante's home.

The FBI had also received contacts about the threats. And in late December they arrested Traficante, deciding that he was the source of the harassment. Police found a semiautomatic AR-15 — one that he legally owned — during a search of his home, according to media reports.

He is now accused of the cyberstalking and threats of violence.

The SUNY Geneseo campus remains hopeful that Traficante's arrest answers the mystery, and there have been no reports of continuing threats since.

Federal prosecutors Tuesday will try to make the case in court that Traficante is both dangerous and likely to flee if released on bail. While his attorney has declined comment, he could seek release with steps such as electronic monitoring, curfews and a prohibition on the use of computers and contacts with the students.

Whether Traficante is or is not the culprit, the texts that scared much of an entire sorority display the thoughts of a troubled individual.

In one text, the individual writes: "i certainly have feelings that make me want to cause harm to myself or others."